Bottle Baby Q

HillRunner · #1 05/27/11, 01:40 PM

Ok I was wondering if someone could tell me how much you would need to feed a bottle baby at 6 weeks of age. What would I feed them and When and how do I wean them? Thanks

Rockytopsis · #2 05/27/11, 04:13 PM

I can only tell you how I fed my bottle baby at 2 months, and she was getting 3 bottles a day with 10oz of milk. Up untill 2 months old she was getting 4 10oz bottles.

At 3 months I started taking 1 bottle a day from her for a week.
This week is her last bottle and she gets it in the morning.
Next week she goes to her new home.

I have some dairy goats so I was able to give my baby goat milk, otherwise it would have been whole milk from the store.
Depending on what kind of goat your baby is she may need more or less than what I gave mine. She is a Alpine/Kiko

Has your baby been bottle fed from the start? If no she may not take a bottle now.
If you just got her, what was the previous owner doing to feed her?

Nancy

Alice In TX/MO · #3 05/27/11, 04:36 PM

Knowing what breed is important! We can't really give you good info without it.

My MiniMancha bucklings took ten ounce bottles. I feed goat milk, but you can use whole cow milk from the store, warmed to 102 degrees. DO NOT USE REPLACER from the feed store.

Full size goats take more milk at a time. I've got three week old Saanen cross kids who are taking close to 16 oz three times a day, but they are on their mom part time, too. She's the doe with the tumors, and she's not making much milk.

Creamers · #4 05/27/11, 04:39 PM

I fed my full sized kids 50-60 oz a day - whole milk or goat's milk ONLY -
Mid sized Mini crosses - 40 oz or so a day
Nigerians or Pygmy kids - 24-30 oz a day
at that age -
I do not wean until 21 weeks, but it is safe to wean by 12 weeks, if you must - please
do not wean sooner, if you can help it

HillRunner · #5 05/27/11, 04:45 PM

They were in are local livestock section of are local classifieds. Was looking for advie to see what I would be getting myself into they was all kinds of breeds. I was looking at a LaAlpine doe that was six months old.

KrisD · #6 05/27/11, 04:50 PM

First I would find out how much they were eating before you got them. Make sure they get two sets of CDT 21 days apart. They should have free choice hay, minerals and baking soda. They also need fresh water everyday. I would do no more then 2 bottle of milk a day max but you should be able to cut that down depending on how much they are eating on their own. At 6 weeks they should be weaning now depending on how strong they are.

So my weaning schedule is for instance 2 bottles today, 1 am and 1 pm. in three days they would get 1 am and 1/2 pm. 3-4 days later I would do just 1 bottle am and 1 bottle of water at night or even a half depending on how they are taking the process. By the end of next week only 1 bottle a day. It depends on how much the breeder was feeding them because you don't want to stress them too much. If she was only doing a bottle a day then stick with that. If they get the runs back off all milk and just give them some water.

LoneStrChic23 · #7 05/27/11, 04:53 PM

I worked my Alpine buck up to 20oz per feeding before 6 weeks old... I just let him have what he wanted without letting him be overful.

Lots of people think I'm crazy, but I let them have a bottle until at least 16 weeks old. I want the best growth possible, there is no better or more complete food than milk & it makes giving coccidia meds easier. I have one dam raised doeling here & it is a royal pain in the rear to chase her down for 5 days in a row every month to give her Corid!

My Lamancha buck was weaned when I brought him home, but eagerly took the bottle so I let him have a bottle.

Sam, the Alpine bottle baby just turned 16 weeks old & was over 75lbs at last weigh in. Past two weeks or so he'd been getting a 1 liter bottle once a day, now he gets one 20oz bottle a day just because....Tonka, the Lamancha buck will get his liter bottle once a day for another week or so...

They eat well, and do not have to have milk anymore, I've just been using them as a place to get rid of extra milk until I can get cheese & yogurt making supplies

Otherwise, they'd be done.

I do not use milk replacers, don't add in things like eggs or syrups.....just whole milk...Only thing I've added to milk is the 1st bottle of the day has a pinch of baking soda & their coccodia meds. When Sam came home at 2 weeks old I had to buy whole milk from the store until my doe freshened.

I'm pretty pleased with the results, though I must say I will be investing in a lambar for future kids, lol

KrisD · #8 05/27/11, 04:59 PM

I want to clarify that they should NOT be completely weaned by 7 or 8 weeks just slowing down on the bottle and increasing their hay consumption. My kids don't wean completely until at least 12 to 14 weeks. I must have been sleepy when I read and posted. That is my schedule for older babies.

LoneStrChic23 · #9 05/27/11, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KrisD

First I would find out how much they were eating before you got them. Make sure they get two sets of CDT 21 days apart. They should have free choice hay, minerals and baking soda. They also need fresh water everyday. I would do no more then 2 bottle of milk a day max but you should be able to cut that down depending on how much they are eating on their own. At 6 weeks they should be weaning now depending on how strong they are.

So my weaning schedule is for instance 2 bottles today, 1 am and 1 pm. in three days they would get 1 am and 1/2 pm. 3-4 days later I would do just 1 bottle am and 1 bottle of water at night or even a half depending on how they are taking the process. By the end of next week only 1 bottle a day. It depends on how much the breeder was feeding them because you don't want to stress them too much. If she was only doing a bottle a day then stick with that. If they get the runs back off all milk and just give them some water.

Why the water? Bottle kids don't need anything in their bottles besides milk.

I, like Creamers made sure my full sized kids got at least 60oz per day...gradually worked up to 80oz due to Sam's size..lol Started with 4 bottles a day, then 3....kept up the 3 for a few weeks and went to 2 a day after 10 weeks or so...

Same thing with our mini buck, but his biggest daily amounts only worked up to about 50-60oz though.

I only recently went to one bottle a day.

Only time I ever had scours was due to coccidia in a newly purchased kid.

I've had people tell me that keeping them on milk so long will prevent their rumen from developing, but that's hogwash. My boys have outstanding growth, great appetite for pellets & hay and have been chewing their cud well for a long time...

I didn't try to reinvent the wheel on bottle raising.... I looked to people with herds I admire that have growthy kids who were breeding weight their first fall & I followed their advice.

Everyone does things a bit differently, but I think as long as you offer plenty of milk & use good coccidia prevention you'll be fine

Alice In TX/MO · #10 05/27/11, 05:19 PM

I was wondering about the water until I realized it was Crystal in Noodle, Texas. HOT HOT HOT and dry there.

Alice In TX/MO · #11 05/27/11, 05:19 PM

OH, adding this thought...... don't buy from Craigs List ads unless they agree to show you their records for testing for CAE.

LoneStrChic23 · #12 05/27/11, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

I was wondering about the water until I realized it was Crystal in Noodle, Texas. HOT HOT HOT and dry there.

Huh? I don't put water in bottles....the poster above me said they did & I wanted to know why.....Milk only in our bottles

And my gosh yes it's hot!!! Sitting at 105° right now with 40mph wind gust.....It's horrid miserable.....Lost one of my cochin chicks to the heat despite ice in the water & ice bottles so I brought them inside.....Tomorrow is supposed to be 107°

I need a cooler climate summer home.....

Rockytopsis · #13 05/28/11, 06:30 AM

If the LaAlpine is 6 months old it should be eating and drinking on its own. No need for a bottle. If it is advertised as a bottle baby then it should be very frindly.
Nancy

Oat Bucket Farm · #14 05/28/11, 12:05 PM

We usually keep up three bottles a day until they are about 6 weeks old, but our Mancha babies this year were all eating hay and drinking water by the time they were a week or so old. They weaned themselves off their afternoon bottle by three weeks. They are almost three months old now and still getting two bottles a day for a total of 40oz of milk each. In another week or so, we will cut out the morning bottle. They will continue to get one 20oz bottle a day until they are about six months old.